"Real" Corsets and Underthings

I just put in the deposit for a Casablanca Bridal 2064 and I am so excited to wear it! The natural question now is what does one WEAR under a bridal gown. I am a very busty lady and I have worn and prefer very sturdy, very real steel boned corsets. These are no Fredericks of Hollywood polyester and plastic “lingerie” corsets, but the real 4″ waist reduction magillas.

I always see women saying they are wearing a “corset” under their gown, and lots of websites have “bridal corsets” for sale that are nowhere near anything I would consider a REAL corset. Being as busty and full figured as I am, I don’t think the flimsy support of a simple longline bra will do it for me. Is it unreasonable to think I should wear a REAL steel corset underneath or should I just accept the longline and spandex strapless bras? I HATE strapless bras and even longline bras seem to end up around my waist at the end of the night.

I will tell you this. I am not the thinnest, nor the thickest gal around. Around a size 12. I felt self conscience about my stomach and wanted to find a way to reduce it a bit for my wedding day. I shopped around. What worked for me was a corset. Though, I was disappointed the one I wore had plastic boning, which I wound up having some issues with at the end of the day. The one I bought was only about $20 maybe $25, so perhaps the quality wasn’t great. But I absolutely agree a high quality corset is the way to go. There is a reason they have been around so long!

I have one legit, steel boning, skinny waist Corset and while I look hot and shapely in it, there is NO way it would have been comfortable for all my wedding day. When I was already nervous and excited, steel constricting my breathing would Have ended with me on rhe floor.

I used a not at tight or nice one that still made my shape nicer and smoother without being so confining. That said, I’m not hugely endowed either so it wasn’t a huge need for support and my dress was lace up so it was also very forgiving. I would try several options to see where the line between comfortable and able to move but also giving you the shape you want lies for you.

Ha, that was my biggest fear when dress shopping, what on earth I was going to wear underneath. In the end, my Justin Alexander 8630 was so fitted and well boned that I didn’t need a bra at all and it was fine (I’ve worn a bra every day since I was about 12!) If your dress has a lot of boning in it anyway, underwear may either not fit underneath, or ruin the shape of the dress.

If by “real” you mean steel boned, and you aren’t someone who already wears steel boned corsets on at least a weekly basis, DON’T DO IT.

I REPEAT

DON’T DO IT.

I had a steel boned corset as one of my outfits on my wedding day and I have some experience with them, though not a lot, and the one I was wearing was badly under-seasoned. I actually changed out of that outfit very early so it’s only in the posed photos, not even the ceremony, I was SO uncomfortable and happy to put on the other dress.

It gets HOT. The material used to hold those things together is hot and very heavy. If you aren’t a 100% corset expert who practically lives in one, eating and dancing is hard and your eating and dancing related fun could be totally ruined. It compresses your innards and you have go to the bathroom more, which is tricky. If you get panicky or just breathe heavy for any reason it’s easy to hyperventilate and feel awful or faint.

And it’s hard to get them off with a dress on top. One of my saving graces was that my corset outfit had the corset on the outside and I could just pull it open in an instant if I wanted or needed to – as underwear, it’s not so easy.

On top of that, the material and boning is so thick, that while it gives you a beautiful shape and structure, if you don’t lace very tightly (beyond what a newbie would be comfortable with) you won’t actually lose inches, and according to the measuring tape, you may even add them depending on the corset being used and the fabric of your dress.

If you’re a constant corset-wearer, your body is used to it and none of these things are problems for you. But what I learned was that newbies should never wear a steel boned corest on the wedding day.

If you really really want to, I would get a custom corset made by someone in your area specifically for you, and then wear it as much as you can around the house until you feel comfortable in it. But then you won’t be a newbie anymore. ^^

@WeddingBilz: I have a dream corset from fredericks of hollywood and that thing always leaves stripes on me when I take it off. Im a 32dd. That thing gets so tight. I couldnt wear it on my wedding day because of the fabric but I dont see why it wouldn’t work for you. Plus they go on sale a lot.

OP, if you want a real corset for your wedding day, I suggest having one custom-made by a good bespoke corsetiere. Ask them how long you need to wear it for it to be comfortable for your wedding day, but you definitely don’t want to wear it for the first time then. I’d make sure to go for natural, breathable materials in your corset though.

@WeddingBilz: I wore a real deal corset under my dress, and it was perfect, sucked me in more then needed, and was surprisingly comfortable. My issue was my actual dress, bc I have a short torso, the corset would ride up and stick out between my boobs I’m the dress, it wasn’t a huge deal bc I would adjust it whenever I went to the bathro, but I do have a pic or two where bending back and it’s visible…

ETA: I too am very busty(36e/f) and I ended up having to wear the corset that didn’t come over the boobs… It did horrible shaping to them

I think it also depends on what kind of dress you’re wearing. Having owned and worn steel-boned corsets before (albeit many years ago), they do a great job of shaving inches off the waist…but they also tend to add bulk because they’re so substantially-constructed. In addition to that, most modern wedding dresses are already boned or have some structure to them…so my concern would be (on top of the discomfort factor of wearing a corset underneath a heavy wedding gown) that wearing a real corset would actually add bulk rather than make you look thinner.

I will likely go the “real” corset route. It helps with my back pain (its like a back brace that doesn’t look crappy under clothes!) and I guarentee, the long day, in high shoes, standing a lot, will take it’s toll on me.

I would say try on both under your dress just to make sure…but you should be good wearing one of your “real” corsets.